Sympathy
by Queen
Summary: First, he wanted to kill her. Then, he wanted to pay her back. And somewhere in the midst of it all, he started to fall in love with her.
1. Part 1: Dark

Well, this is…unexpected. It's been forever and then some since I've written any fic, much less _Sailor Moon_. But I recently watched the live-action, and…this spawned in my brain, rather randomly and insistently.

This will be a story in three parts. It can be interpreted as slightly AU towards the end of the second part, depending on how nitpicky you are with how I've cut up and messed with the scenes in the canon. I've tried to keep things within the context and pace of the live-action show, as much as possible.

Of course, I do not own _Sailor Moon_, in any of its incarnations.

Enjoy.

~Queen

* * *

_Sympathy_

_Definition: "..the fact or power of sharing the feelings of another, esp. in sorrow or trouble; fellow feeling, compassion, or commiseration."_

Part 1. Dark

Failure. Failure. Failure. It was disgusting.

"All alone. Somehow, I don't like it."

A red cloak landed on his shoulder, repaired, untorn. He was too startled by the oddness of the gesture to react.

Her face impassive, it didn't seem to quite match her words or her gift. He could only come to the conclusion she was mocking him further. His face twisted into a scowl as the sound of her boots tapping against the floor faded into the shadows.

Kunzite's little toy senshi. How dare she pity him?

He'd kill her. It'd piss off Kunzite, at least.

* * *

The first time he followed Mercury to the edge of the abyss, he had only a vague plan of finding out where she disappeared to. Once he saw where it was, he thought perhaps he'd shove her over the edge, into the black that lay beyond the Dark Kingdom.

"If you're going to follow me all the way out here, you might as well stop hovering in the shadows. Or are you too timid?" She turned halfway, haughty, sounding a bit put-upon.

He was definitely going to kill her. It would be very satisfying. Over the edge was too easy. There must be blood.

She sat down, leaning against the rock face of the cliff to the side of the outcropping they stood on.

Too casual. Much too casual. As though he were no threat at all. He would not tolerate such disrespect.

She sighed and waved a hand. "Well?"

"You're just Kunzite's pet." He hoped it would inflict some damage. She rolled her eyes.

"Is that what you came out here for? Or is this visit some pathetic attempt to kill me again?" When his glare increased in intensity and his posture tensed, she laughed. "You're too simple-minded."

"Shut up."

She laughed again. "What a scary face." She then proceeded to ignore him.

He turned and went back to the castle.

* * *

The second time he followed Mercury to the edge of the abyss, he was quieter, and did not follow her footsteps. He'd surprise her, blast her, leave only a scorch mark on the rock where she stood.

Of course, she knew he was there before he could fire.

She sounded weary this time, and did not look at him. "Again?"

He glowered. "Why do you come all the way out here?" There were places inside Beryl's castle that were easier to reach, and easier to spring traps from. It was hard to prepare anything lethal out here.

"Because Kunzite is a bossy bastard."

He blinked, then arched an eyebrow. He almost smiled. Almost. He could understand her annoyance with Kunzite, at least.

"Nobody comes out here?" he asked.

"I do. And apparently you when you feel like being a stalker."

He ignored the jab and stepped closer, so that he was parallel with her, able to see the outline of her face. "I could kill you and nobody would care."

"I could kill you and everyone would think you ran off as a coward."

He hated how she always seemed to win. He was about to say something sarcastic back, but she turned to face him, an amused smile playing on her face. There was challenge glinting in her eyes, but little malice. She was teasing him. Teasing meanly, but teasing. He paused. Instead of a rude retort, he scoffed and sat down. Her brows lifted, but she said nothing.

They watched the darkness swallow the lavender light flowing from the castle behind them.

After several minutes of silence, he realized the quiet was almost companionable.

* * *

The third time he followed Mercury to the edge of the abyss, she looked at him, amused, and returned her gaze to the murk beyond the rim of the castle.

He had nowhere else to go.

He sat down.

He was starting to understand the appeal of the location. It was peaceful, if bleak.

* * *

The fourth time he followed Mercury to the edge of the abyss, he could hear the sound of violence in action.

Approaching the platform, he kept to the shadows. It was never wise to stumble into a fight in the Dark Kingdom without a certain level of caution.

But there was no fight. Only Mercury, attacking furiously the obsidian wall of stone that ringed their vantage point. Her ice blade danced, paused, flickered, slashed. A chunk of protruding stone cracked, tumbled to the ground, crumbled. For a moment, he thought she was simply training, practicing. Somewhere amid the fury of blows, he caught a profile of her face. She was livid. This he also understood. Taking out rage where she could, when she could. Whatever angered her was apparently out of reach.

The ferocity of her attack ended abruptly with a frustrated snarl. She gripped her sword, dagger-like, and rammed it several inches deep into the rock. It stuck. She breathed deeply.

It was gratifying to see he could startle her when she was upset. She was taken aback when he spoke, but recovered quickly, tensing for a fight. "Congratulations on slaughtering the wall."

"Shut up, Nephrite."

He tried to recollect if that was the first time she said his name. It probably was. It pleased him. She wasn't dismissing him or mocking him for a change. He realized she had stepped away from him, slumping down into her usual seat, a ledge of rock that protruded up from the ground, chair-like.

She seemed haggard.

He sat in his usual spot, several feet away. Far enough to give him time to raise a defense if something changed and they fought.

"I don't belong here, do I?"

That he did not expect. She was trying to sit upright, regal, to keep the coldness that always accompanied her, but was not quite succeeding today. She wasn't just haggard, she was worried.

She couldn't possibly be remembering who she was. That was supposed to be impossible. But what else could cause such a question?

It would certainly piss off Kunzite if she broke his hold on her. Probably even more than if she died suddenly, which did not seem as appealing a course as it did a few days ago, for some reason. It would also show that Kunzite was not as infallible as he made himself out to be. "No, you don't belong here," he told her.

Her face grew pensive. The sword of ice, sheathed in the stone, evaporated.

It made him too uncomfortable. He did not stay much longer that day.

* * *

The last time he followed Mercury to the edge of the abyss, she did not respond to his approach. She did not look up when he sat down. She sat, leaning forward, her hands hanging off the edges of her knees. They twitched in a rhythm, all tiny loops and twists, as though moving something between her fingers, which were empty. Her face shifted now and again. Sometimes sad. Sometimes angry. Sometimes frustrated. Sometimes straining, her eyes peering out into the black as though there was an answer waiting if she could just look hard enough.

When she held that look too long, he felt oddly worried. "Mercury?"

She grimaced, the spell broken. She snapped at him. "Why do you keep coming out here and bothering me?"

It took him a moment to find the answer. He said, "You're alone. Somehow, I don't like it."

Her mouth opened as though to make a nasty response, but she stopped before any sound emerged. She nodded once, and looked back into the dark, her gaze following the castle's radiating amethyst light.

Her fingers eventually began to weave again.

He'd watch Mercury. And if he got the chance, he'd get some payback from Kunzite.

Maybe not all of it would be for himself.


	2. Part 2: Light

Part 2. Light

The first time he saw Mercury in the human world, he was horrified. She was there. So was Moon. So human. So ordinary. So different from what they were when transformed.

And he was cursed, working as some kind of janitor, with a lunatic bossing him around. He was supposed to be conquering the world, not cleaning it.

It was bad enough the Prince knew.

Mercury would just call him pathetic again.

Getting thrown by Jupiter and the increasingly idiotic nicknames just made it worse.

He ran.

* * *

The second time he saw Mercury in the human world, he was frustrated. Human jobs were disgusting.

He hated this life. He hated being called anything other than his real name. He was a Shitennou. He deserved respect. Fear.

A mop and a duster were shameful. It reduced him.

Worse, he couldn't even seem to clean things right. If he couldn't even do such a stupid, brainless job without destroying everything around him, how could he even think to be one of the most powerful beings on the planet?

Maybe he really was pathetic.

Then she started helping him. She picked up his mess, gently took the duster and mop out of his hands. Tried to show him how to do this stupid job.

Humiliating.

He understood taunting, he understood insults, he understood being ordered and even ignored.

But she was being nice to him. Kind. No one was ever kind.

Had she been mocking him, when she gave him a new cloak?

"I'm pitiful," he managed, turning, falling over like a clown while he ran back to the little room the turtle-idiot was letting him live in. There was nowhere else to go here. People, everywhere. Everything big, flashy, loud, noisy, crowded. Humans everywhere.

No quiet outcropping to hide in. Nowhere to find peace.

Perched on a stool, elbows on his knees, his back was to the door, but he knew it had to be her when he heard it click quietly open. He flinched, digging his hands into his hair. He didn't want to see anyone. He didn't want anyone to see him.

"Motoki-kun said you were having a hard time." She paused, as though not quite certain of what to say. He shut his eyes. "Awhile ago, I had some troubles too. It helped having my friends around. I know you don't have anyone, but if you need anything, I can try. Motoki's nice too. So are my friends." Her voice slowed and then rushed, rising and falling awkwardly, as though she wasn't sure if she was pushing too hard. "You're not alone here. If you need anything."

She wasn't going to leave unless he said something. The words came out roughly. "Thank you." When the silence stretched, and he said nothing else, she backed away from the door and let it close.

She still didn't like him being alone.

He never thought kindness could be so painful.

* * *

The fourth time he saw Mercury in the human world, he was trying to accept this was his life. At least for awhile. He would not accept that cleaning floors was his destiny.

He even supposed the turtle-idiot was trying to cheer him up, in his own idiotic way. It didn't help. But at least it didn't hurt, either.

He'd seen four of the five Senshi going in and out of the karaoke parlor. Apparently it was some kind of base for them. Revealing that to Beryl might get him back into her good graces. Might get his life back. It seemed too ironic that he managed to find their hideout purely by accident at this point. After what Beryl did, he wasn't sure he wanted to give her his allegiance again. She'd betrayed him. More than betrayed him, she'd killed him. But he did want his life back to normal.

And then Mercury walked in. "Hello!"

Nobody was ever kind to him.

He was a Shitennou. He had his pride. He'd pay her back. He'd keep quiet.

Even if it meant mopping floors and listening to inane turtle rambles.

* * *

The third time he saw Mercury in the human world, he made a mess. It was starting to seem like a fact of life in the human world, that everything he did seemed to destroy the front area of Crown Karaoke. He was starting to think it was a curse from the Dark Kingdom. Try to do something right, anything right, and make a disaster zone out of the karaoke parlor.

"What happened?" she exclaimed, seeing the clutter, as the doors slid open to admit her.

Turtle-idiot thought it was his fault, as usual. Like he didn't have better things to do than throw crap all over the front desk and floor.

Had to be a curse. No other explanation.

But this time, the mess was from him trying to use his powers. It hadn't worked right. But it had an effect. That was more than a few days ago. There was hope. And he wouldn't need to go groveling at Beryl's feet to do it.

Then Mercury started doing her nice thing again. This time with something called cookies. He tried to remember if he'd had cookies before, and failed. She looked so hopeful, holding them out, smiling, insistent.

She still didn't like him being alone. He wasn't alone here. It reminded him of sitting at the edge of the abyss. Of sitting at the edge of the darkness and not hating the person he was sitting with. He tried to come up with a word to describe it.

Couldn't hurt to try eating one.

It was awful. It was perfect.

Food in the karaoke parlor was usually taken from a convenience store down the street. It usually tasted salty and flat.

Food in the Dark Kingdom was rich, elaborate, heavy. But it soured in your mouth and belly, as though left out for too long, and had taken to rotting.

Mercury's cookies were full of the bitter taste of char. They were terrible. But they left the strangest swelling of sweetness in his chest, like they filled up some vacant space he didn't realize was empty.

Maybe this was what kindness tasted like. Burnt cookies.

"Tastes bad." Burnt and ruined. "Terrible." Charred and delicious. "Awful."

He stuffed his mouth full of them.

Then she laughed. A real laugh. Not snickering. Not looking at him in scornful amusement, but laughed. Had he ever made anyone laugh before? A laugh that lit eyes with delight? The empty space filled up even further.

He couldn't look at her. He'd pay her back. For the food.

Then she was gone, running. And the turtle-idiot began raving he saw Venus walk in.

He wondered if the world was about to end.

* * *

The last time he saw Mercury in the human world, he was resolved to return some of the kindness she had shown him. It felt alien to him, deliberately doing something nice for someone, simply to make them happy. He'd done many wicked things to humans to make Beryl happy. But she never smiled at him, as hard as he tried for her.

Mercury laughed. Because he did something that made her happy. Without trying.

It was ridiculous. A few weeks ago he would have thought it was pathetic. But he kept wanting to see the laughter again. His powers were returning, but time was moving too quickly. He probably would not be a player in the final battle. Zoisite was gone. There was no telling about Kunzite. He guessed Jadeite's loyalties would be revealed. Mercury would have to be there, at the end. She was loyal to her friends. Even if it meant fighting at the end of the world.

The turtle-idiot bought Jupiter some sort of lucky, dangly turtle thing. It seemed like a good idea. He thought the large, impressive horned thing at the street vendor's would bring better luck, looking like something a warrior would enjoy, but the turtle-idiot was insistent, as was the vendor after some explanation as to who he was buying the present for. He supposed, as idiotic as they were, they had more experience with this sort of thing than him.

He supposed the ring was sparkly enough to be pleasing.

He mopped the floor, kept his head down, and tried not to attract the attention of the other Senshi. Something was wrong that day. They usually looked cheerful, or sometimes rushed when walking through the doors. Today, Mars looked suspiciously like she had been weeping.

Mercury came out last.

"Wait." She paused, looked at him. There was pain in her eyes. He'd seen those eyes before, searching the darkness for answers, fingers weaving and flickering. They'd been alone then. No one went to the edge of the abyss. He could hear the turtle-idiot banging around in the back room. "Come with me."

He grabbed her arm and pulled her into one of the empty karaoke rooms, ignored the startled look on her face. She'd tried to cheer him up. She'd tried to keep him from being alone. He could do some of the same. Return the favor. Keep things fair.

She was sad. He didn't like it.

The door closed behind them. She stood, puzzled, looking at him expectantly. "Is something wrong?"

He hesitated, shifting, uncomfortable. "I got this for you." He pulled the ring out of the pocket of his apron. "To thank you. For the bad food." He held it out to her.

She looked at him skeptically, then at the ring. Slowly, she reached out. He felt her fingers brush against his hand as she took it. He looked at her. She was gazing at his gift, a thoughtful expression on her face. She seemed to be struggling for a moment, her smile coming out unevenly.

"It's pretty. Thank you, Nefukichi."

He winced, involuntarily. Idiotic nickname. Coming from her, it seemed even more stupid than usual. That was not his name. He was not some pathetic loser forced to clean floors for a living. He was more than that. He was a Shitennou. She was a Senshi. They should be equals.

She looked concerned, confused as to why he suddenly seemed so intent.

"My name," he began, paused, shifted his weight from foot to foot. This was probably not wise. But he didn't want to hear that other name from her. "My name is Nephrite."

Her eyes scrunched up, her face taking on a look of complete confusion for a moment. Then she looked at him. She traced his features, his posture, imagined him in red uniform and with a look of anger on his face. She leaned forward slightly, her mouth falling open, her eyes, that should be pleased with his present, filled with shock, then horror.

The ring slipped out of her fingers as her hands flew up, one to the air, one to the side of her face, three fingers extended. Her mouth opened to cry out for her power.

She hesitated. Relaxed, very slightly. She kept her arms upraised.

"You're supposed to be dead!"

He scowled at her. That was the first thing she came up with? Well, he supposed it was better than getting hit in the face with a torpedo of ice.

"I'm alive. Lucky me." He looked down at himself, at the red apron that proudly declared him an employee of Crown Karaoke. He smelled like window cleaner and dust.

Her arms lowered a little. "Why?"

"Why what?"

Her arms fell a little more, as she gestured at the two of them, then at the karaoke room. The television, the microphones, the table in the center, the couches, the door leading outside. "Why here? Why tell me? Why tell me _now_?"

He looked at her. She suddenly seemed afraid, at what the response could be. "In the Dark Kingdom…we…." He looked away, unable to meet her eyes, which were filling with terror at the thought of what she might have done in that place. She didn't remember her time in the Dark Kingdom. She could have done anything. Been anything. She could have sat on a dark ledge of rock with him when he was unwanted, and she was unwanted, and they could have looked at the light shining out from the castle together, peaceably, in a place that had no peace. He started to understand what they were. In the Dark Kingdom. Now. A Senshi and a Shitennou. Equals. Who did not hate each other, but tried to understand each other, despite everything.

"In the Dark Kingdom, we were friends."

She stared at him. Her hands were at her sides. She was wary, but curious. "You said you wanted to get in Kunzite's way. When you stopped him that time."

He snorted. "Kunzite is a bossy bastard. And he pissed me off. It wasn't only for you."

It took several moments, but he heard her, unbelievably, let out a small, light laugh. She seemed as surprised by it as he was. She recovered. Then smiled. It was small and awkward, but it was a smile.

He found himself trying to return it.

She broke his gaze by looking down. "I assume since we haven't been invaded by youma, you didn't tell Queen Beryl where we are. Thank you."

Telling her why would sound ridiculous. He kept silent. He nodded. "You'll be fighting again, soon."

"Yes."

"I can't."

She bent down, picked the ring up off the floor, held it in her hand for a moment before closing her fingers around it. "I'm glad that you're free from that place too. Nephrite." She smiled at him. It was a warm smile, so utterly different from what he had seen in the darkness. But it was still her. Her as she was supposed to be.

He could not move for some time, after he felt her breath on his skin, and her lips on his cheek, and he heard the door to the room open and close, and he heard the tapping of her shoes running down the hallway.

He would have to get her presents more often.


	3. Part 3: We Are Grey

Part 3. We Are Grey

The first time he visited Mercury after the end of the world, he didn't know what to say, so he said nothing. Things were garbled for the time immediately afterwards, a mess of the world righting itself, of people being reborn, of sorting out memories and of certain reincarnated royals returning to Earth and finding their companions .

She was otherwise occupied with such things. There would be a better time.

So he waited.

* * *

The second time he visited Mercury after the end of the world, she was shopping. For books. Books had never really been much his thing. Zoisite had some. Somewhere. Probably about music.

"What is all this?" He pulled a book of the shelf, squinted at it, tried to open it, and found it was wrapped in plastic. That was frustrating.

She looked up, started, blinked in surprise. She knew perfectly well what he looked like as a human, so he didn't see why she looked so taken aback. "Nephrite?"

He shoved the book back onto the shelf. "Hi." She didn't smile. Just looked startled. Her cheeks were turning pink. He supposed it was a bit sudden for him to just pop out of nowhere at her, but he didn't know what else to do. Appearing at her home would be an intrusion, and he didn't want to go back to the karaoke parlor and listen to the turtle-idiot blathering. He frowned. "Long time no see."

"Eh." She nodded and seemed to collect herself. "How are you?"

He shrugged. She looked around, awkwardly. He realized he should have planned this better. She was occupied, and probably wouldn't appreciate being randomly dragged off to sit around and not do anything. He had found a nice rooftop, though. They'd be able to see the big bridge and the bay.

She shuffled the load of books in her arms. Books on medicine, he noticed. And a couple on America. "What is all this?" he repeated, glancing at the shelves.

That got much more of a response. She beamed at him, excited. "I've been accepted into a program in America. For future doctors. My mother knew someone related to it, and he helped me get in. I'll be able to study overseas." She looked at the books, eyes flickering across the titles. "I'm ahead in my English class, but if I'm going to be studying at such a high level, I need some books on academic and medicinal English, so I can talk to my professors and the other students. I really have to study the rest of the school year, before I leave."

She picked another book off the shelf, cradling the stack of books in her arm with the familiarity of someone used to the position, balancing them easily against her hip.

He never really thought of her that way before, but he realized, "You're smart."

She looked up at him, wide eyed. Then she laughed. "What?" he demanded. She shook her head and waved her free hand.

"You're funny, Nephrite."

He sniffed, folded his arms, and glared at the books. She was leaving Japan. That wasn't a problem. He could go anywhere, whenever he felt like it. It was good to have powers again.

She was going to be a doctor.

She wasn't a Senshi anymore. He watched her browsing the books, reading the backs of them, finally selecting a couple that she deemed acceptable.

She was moving on.

Somehow, he didn't like it.

* * *

The third time he visited Mercury after the end of the world, he did not approach her or her friends. Three of the other four Senshi were there, as was the Prince, the turtle-idiot, and a woman he supposed must be her mother.

She didn't see him. He preferred it that way.

When the Prince looked up and saw him, he moved back and blended himself into the stream of tourists and baggage moving through the airport's check-in lanes.

She left the Senshi, passed through security with a wave, and was gone.

He looked away, and disappeared.

* * *

The fourth time he visited Mercury after the end of the world, he felt compelled to do it. She'd seen him at the wedding, came over and said hello. She hadn't changed much. She was a little happier, he thought. A little more mature.

She was even a Senshi again, even if it was only for a moment. Four years since the end of the world. Four years of alternating between wandering aimlessly by himself, and of listening to the other Shitennou gripe, blather, bicker, joke, compose, snark and talk.

It wasn't a bad four years. But she had moved on with her life. Why open up contact again? He wondered at it. It annoyed him. She was smiling as she invited him. It annoyed him more, knowing he would go.

She told him she was moving back to Japan. Too far from her mother and friends. She hadn't liked being so far away when there was an emergency. She missed everyone. Wanted to be there for Jupiter next year. Would complete her residency at her mother's hospital. Come visit. She was better at using an oven now, after living in America.

He left as early as he did just to get away from Jadeite, who apparently thought this was hilarious. He reminded himself to put something nasty in Jadeite's coffee.

Mercury's apartment was small, and there were still boxes everywhere, marked with American shipping labels. Clothes were folded and stacked in piles, books were sitting in opened boxes, and there was an assortment of American snacks and candies on her table, gifts for co-workers and friends.

"Try the Starbursts," she told him. "They're like Hai-chu's, but with different flavors."

He had no idea what Hai-chu's or Starbursts were, but he ate one anyway. Something sweet, tart, chewy. She emerged from the kitchen a minute later, with a tray of cookies in hand. "Sorry it's not very much, but I'm still unpacking. I didn't think you'd show up this quickly."

He'd given her a month since the wedding. He hadn't quite realized that for a human, moving between countries would take time.

She brushed open the curtains leading out to her balcony. It was just large enough to hold a small table, a pair of chairs, and a couple potted plants. He had to duck under the clothesline.

The view caught him. It was just past sunset. The west lay out before them, creating a claret, wine-colored light that spilled out into the darkness above. Below, the city was glittering into the oncoming night. He looked from the sky to Mercury. It was different from the abyss. The light that flowed into the darkness had been cold and unnatural. This time, there was something distinctly vital and alive about it. Warm and ordinary and full of life. The city hummed.

It was as though she had found a bright mirror to the Dark Kingdom.

"I could have afforded something a little bigger, but I thought it would be nice to come outside sometimes." She held out the tray. "They're not so burnt this time. I got the recipe from one of the nurses back in America. And a lecture on how to set the timer." She grinned, her nose wrinkling a little. He took a cookie. They were chocolate chip. He knew chocolate chip cookies.

It wasn't the same as the first time. These were soft, still a little warm from baking. He wanted to continue being annoyed with her. He didn't understand why he was so angry at her for moving on. The other Senshi had done the same. So had the Shitennou, in their own ways.

The cookie was different. It still filled him with the same indescribable sweetness.

"It's good." He tried to resist another, but he reached for the tray again. "Better."

She smiled at him, set down the tray, took one herself and nibbled on it while she spoke. She talked of things in America. Of hospitals and universities, of culture and science and medicine. She talked of learning how to use a scalpel, of learning to make neat little sutures, of learning to talk to distressed family members. She talked about learning that jalapenos are spicy, and driving on the other side of the road is disconcerting, and that McDonald's is a strange oasis of familiarity in an unfamiliar place.

And he listened, and ate cookies, and started to wonder if the sweetness was really from the cookies.

* * *

The fifth time he visited Mercury after the end of the world, she was tired. Sitting at her kitchen table, looking worn out. She yawned when she saw him, tried to smother it, failed.

"Long surgery today," she said. "I didn't have time to prepare anything."

He looked at her, elbows on the table, quietly massaging her temples. Around her neck was a thin chain. A familiar looking ring was dangling from it, halfway out from under her blouse.

She had moved forward.

She had not moved on.

"You've done enough today. Wait here," he said, coming back half an hour later with hot noodles from Thailand.

She was delighted.

He liked pleasing her.

* * *

The sixth time he visited Mercury after the end of the world, he brought tamales from Mexico. He talked to her of wandering, half from boredom, half from curiosity at what humanity had created. Of rock concerts in parks and flamenco dancing during festivals. Of pad thai made on street corners and of busy markets selling spices and bright birds. He taught her to swear in five languages, and promised to teach her more later. He talked of coming back to the house the Shitennou had taken over as a home, and how Jadeite had sprayed kimchi-spiked coffee all over Kunzite that morning, and how Zoisite was writing a symphony and was very touchy about Kunzite trying to kill Jadeite. Apparently murdering each other in his earshot was disruptive.

She laughed a lot that day.

He realized it wasn't the cookies that were filling him.

* * *

The seventh time he visited Mercury after the end of the world, he had done a lot of preparation. He usually watched crime-dramas and action movies when he was at the house, which were not really the best source of advice on how to kiss a girl. He watched several hours of the ridiculous daytime romance-dramas that he sometimes caught Kunzite watching secretly, to get a better idea.

He imitated the heroes as best he could, making a dramatic grab for her waist.

It didn't go quite according to plan. By pulling her closer, he ended up yanking the tray of cookies in her hands straight into his stomach, and banged his head into hers.

He swore.

She flushed, set down the tray and took his hand. "More like this, I think."

Sometime later, he managed to say, "Oh. Like that."

* * *

The eighth time he visited Mercury after the end of the world, they moved the chairs on the balcony next to each other. She brought sushi from a restaurant near the hospital. He brought white wine from Champagne.

They ate, and talked, and watched the sunlight fade out of the sky and the lights of the city brighten the night.

They eventually found other things to do to occupy their mouths.

* * *

The last time he visited Mercury after the end of the world, they did not quite make it to the balcony.

He decided beds are much more comfortable with two people than with one.

Mercury agreed.

She told him he didn't need to visit after that.

* * *

_Fin._

* * *

Hello again. Hope you enjoyed. A couple cultural notes out of this chapter – first, Ami's bringing snacks back for friends and coworkers is typical in Japan. It's called '_omiyage_' and is usually some sort of snack food. American Starbursts are a lot like Japanese Hai-chu's. If you can ever find the cherry ones, get them, they're super rare and awesome. They are also not to be confused with Chu-hai's, which are alcoholic.

Also, Ami refers to getting better at using ovens after living in America. I figured this would be likely since ovens are a luxury item in most Japanese apartments, and pretty rare. For Reasons Of Plot, Ami has one. Most cooking is done on the stove. So I figured Ami wasn't really a bad cook, she just needed a little practice.

Kimchi is a spicy Korean food, usually found with cabbage. But you can also find kimchi in chocolate, and with various other foods. I figured it would be bad in coffee.

Reviews are always welcome, and thanks for reading. :)

~Queen


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